Fast-growing Bath chartered financial planning group Fidelius has stayed close to home for its latest acquisition, city-based financial advisers Robson Taylor IFA.
Robson Taylor, which specialises in retirement planning, investments, savings and protection, will bring an additional £105m of assets under management to Fidelius along with £780,000 in revenue.
All Robson Taylor staff will remain with the business, including founding principals Paul and Debbie Timmins who launched it 20 years ago – although the firm’s name will now disappear.
Fidelius has £1.75bn under advice and 130 staff based in its Bath headquarters and its offices in Cheltenham, Chelmsford, Bridgwater, Mansfield and London.
One of Bath’s fastest-growing businesses, it has expanded at a rate of over 20% a year since 2012 and has featured in a number of fast growth surveys. including the London Stock Exchange’s 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain and Lloyds Development Capital’s (LDC) Fast Growth 50.
Last year it struck a significant strategic partnership with major investment firm Pacific Asset Management (PAM) under which PAM acquired its discretionary fund management (DFM) arm Parallel Investment Management.
In return PAM’s financial planning firms Bridgwater-based Chartered Financial Management and Zen Wealth, based in Eastleigh, became part of the Fidelius Group.
Fidelius said there would be no changes to the costs to clients of Robson Taylor, while the business would benefit from the economies of scale, technology and administration of the larger firm.
Fidelius CEO Jim Grant, pictured, said: “I have known Paul and Debbie for many years and have long thought Robson Taylor would be an excellent fit for Fidelius when the time was right for all parties.
“Paul, Debbie and the team at Robson Taylor have worked very hard to build a great business, which is focussed on valued long-term client relationships and this fits very well with the Fidelius approach.”
Robson Taylor principal Paul Timmins added: “Robson Taylor has been part of my life for 20 years. My team, client loyalty and friendships have been at the heart of what we do to provide the best advice.
“Fidelius is an extremely well-respected business with shared client-centred values. With an ever-increasing regulatory burden, we are now looking forward to adopting their services and expertise, benefitting from the economies of scale that Fidelius, as a bigger business, has in place.
“My saved time can be used to focus 100% on servicing my clients, which is the part I enjoy most.”
